Cinematic pop artist Arden Alexa is bringing her debut album, HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING, back for a reprise.
When Alexa first set out to create the project, “Cry Pretty” was the first song she wrote. However, by the time she completed the album three years later, the evocative track no longer felt like a reflection of who she was. But after the album’s release, Alexa revisited the original song and realized that its place in the project was about more than just the music. It represented growth. The song was authentic to her younger self, and that was precisely the point.
Just one month after the album’s initial release, Arden Alexa has unveiled HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING: The Show Must Go On, restoring “Cry Pretty” to the tracklist. As a gift to the fans who supported the initial release, she also recorded an alternate version of the fan-favorite single, “Crush!!! (Yearning Version),” featuring Sofia Silvestri.
Juice Box Press recently chatted with Arden Alexa about the making of HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING, the story behind “Cry Pretty,” her theater roots, and performing live.
What inspired your single “Cry Pretty,” and what did the writing and production process for the song involve?
In an act of teen angst and rebellion, I truly did cut my own bangs when I was 18 because my mom told me I couldn’t dye my hair blonde. For the rest of the week, I couldn’t stop thinking about how relatable that probably was so when I sat down to write, I knew the bang-cutting had to be referenced in the opening line. The rest of the song followed easily, as I knew I wanted it to be an upbeat, fun pop song about being mildly depressed and because I was mildly depressed at the time, it came from a very authentic place. This song was the first one that I worked on with the producers who would later go on to produce the rest of the album, Simon Jay and Luke Shrestha. Working with them on this song was an incredibly new and nerve-wracking experience but ultimately so rewarding because I’d never felt so heard in a recording studio. They pushed me to try harder vocal parts and valued all of my ideas and when it came time to work on the rest of the project, I knew it had to be with them!
Your music has such a cinematic quality to it. When you’re writing, do you already envision the visuals or world that might accompany the music?
Storytelling has always been such a huge part of songwriting and producing for me because in my mind, every song is a story and the songs on an album work together to create one larger story. So, when I’m writing, I often imagine the story that I’m trying to tell as if it were a movie and the song as if it were the soundtrack to that movie. Because I have such a vivid imagination, this often makes songwriting much easier and can even help me get through writer’s block.
As a former theater kid, how has your background in theater influenced the way you approach making and performing music?
The aspect of theatre that stuck with me the most was the larger than life storytelling, which is very different from the storytelling in most mainstream pop music. I was always drawn to fact that musical theatre songs have to fit inside a clearly defined scene while still offering insight on the characters and helping to move the scene along. This added layer of complexity is often something that I’ve found myself doing in my own songwriting and performances to ensure that all of the songs on a project work together to tell one larger story.
“Cry Pretty” was the first song you wrote and recorded for the album. What made you initially decide not to include it, and what, or who, ultimately changed your mind?
For a long time, I swore I wasn’t going to release this song, even though I knew it was super catchy and fun. However, I found that the more I reflected on the meaning behind the album and the authenticity that drove me to write all of the songs, the more I realized that this song is equally as honest and authentic as the others. And although I don’t connect with it as deeply now, I decided that it was important to show the growth from the very start of the album-making process with this song, all the way to the end of the releasing process with the whole Deluxe version. Ultimately, HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING is an album that tells the honest story of figuring out my life after high school, and that story started with “Cry Pretty.”
Looking back on the making of the album, what’s one memory that stands out as particularly meaningful or memorable for you?
Writing the title track of the album was probably the most memorable “aha!” moment during the album-making process because it was so meaningful and personal. The idea for the first verse and chorus of the song came to me almost in its entirety when I was laying in bed one night, shortly after I’d moved to LA. When I sat down at my piano the next morning, as cliché as it sounds, the song really did come pouring out of me. It was so raw and cathartic and allowed me to truly let go of lots of feelings of hurt and anger.
You recently performed the album at Bar Lubitsch in Los Angeles. What was it like to finally see the music and visuals come together in a live setting?
Getting to perform my music live is one of my favorite things EVER because I love getting to see how people truly connect with the music. When playing songs live, they transform from being all about me, to being about every person in the audience because each person is connecting to the song in their own way. And ultimately, creating authentic connections through music is what made me want to be an artist in the first place. So it’s truly such a gift to get to perform live and see that desire to create connections come to fruition.
“Cry Pretty” is part of your HOPE YOU’RE WATCHING deluxe album. What do you hope fans take away from the album as a whole?
I hope people see the honesty and authenticity in my work and understand that no matter what genre of music I make or type of world construct, it will always, always be honest to who I am.
Amelia Cordischi, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Juice Box Press, is an accomplished digital marketing professional with over a decade of experience in media and communications. Her work has been featured in notable publications, including The Boston Globe. A communications graduate of Simmons University in Boston, Amelia served as manager of Simmons College Radio (“The Shark”), where she also launched and co-hosted her radio show, The Find.
In addition to her editorial work, Amelia is an established freelance photographer, with bylines in Blended Magazine and CelebMix, capturing artists and cultural moments across the music and media landscape. Her career began at WCVB-TV’s Chronicle, the ABC affiliate in Boston, where she gained firsthand experience in broadcast journalism and storytelling.
When she’s not taking photos from the photo pit, interviewing emerging artists, or crafting the next Juice Box Press feature, Amelia can be found thrifting and exploring the world of sustainable fashion.